First spends £8.5m on new Yorkshire buses

Published:08:08Monday 01 June 2015

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Over 40 new buses are to be rolled out across Yorkshire after local bus operator First confirmed it is investing over £8.5m in its fleet this year.

The ​41 ​new vehicles, which feature a mixture of double deckers and single deckers​,​ will all come fitted with leather seats, CCTV and Wi-Fi providing customers with free internet access during their journey.

In addition to the dedicated space for wheelchair users, First will also provide extra space for pushchairs.

The new buses are all Department for Transport “low carbon certified”, making them some of the most fuel efficient buses on the market.

​All the new vehicles will be fitted with Euro 6 engines, which it described as a strong commitment to improving air quality across the region.

Test results show that running eight Euro 6 buses produces the same amount of certain exhaust emissions as running one bus with a Euro 5 engine.

First said the new vehicles will have a positive impact on air quality in town and city centres.

​The new vehicles will enter service from July with 12 new StreetLite (single-deck) buses for Bradford, seven new StreetLite buses for Halifax and 22 new Streetdeck (double deck) buses for South Yorkshire in December.

Dave Alexander, ​r​egional ​m​anaging ​d​irector of First in North England and Scotland, said: “Our investment of over £8.5​m​ in over 40 new vehicles is great news for our customers and underlines our continuing determination to provide ever better bus services in our area and encourage more people to travel by bus.

​“​These new vehicles will be among the best and most eco-friendly in the region. Passengers can enjoy pleasant, more comfortable journeys and keep connected on the move with our free Wi-Fi, while we support the efforts of our local authority partners to improve air quality for all.”